1989 GMC Jimmy - Unfinished Business

Some Things Are Worth The Wait

We all know the story. Boy meets truck, falls in love, and gets married with the white picket fence and the house in the suburb. Wait. Sorry, let's start over. Boy meets truck, falls in love, then meets wife, has kids, and truck gets tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper. Life happens, priorities change, and we do what we have to survive as functioning adults. But you never forget that first love. You remember seeing her for sale, eyeballing her up and down, knowing what you would do if she was yours. You remember the first time you caressed her switch box, slowly lowering her to the ground while you grinned with delight. And how could you forget how you scrimped and saved until you could finally pop the question, "Can you tuck these 22s?"

Derrick Shelton recently found himself in a similar situation. At 32 and having taken a hiatus from the scene for about 10 years, his brother-in-law suggested that he dust off his Dickies shorts and get back in the game. Having always loved the square body Blazer, Derrick picked up this '89 GMC Jimmy and got to work. With the goal of building a feature truck in mind, Derrick wasted no time in turning this Jimmy into a neck-breaker. After discovering that the original body work was cracking out, Jimmy and his friends at Jason's Creationz along with Shon Reece began smoothing the body out, shaving everything in sight, including the door handles and rear tailgate. Paying attention to the little things, Derrick and friends also shaved that cumbersome gas door, replacing it with a subtler, yet stylish pop-up filler cap located in the rear pillar. With the body smooth as silk, a base coat of Inca Gold Metallic was laid down.

With the body back in shape, Derrick focused his attention on giving the police a legitimate reason to pull him over by tossing out the factory motor and shoving a 385 Chevy stroker motor under and through the hood with the help of the shotgun scoop. Wanting to let the motor breath a little better, Hedman Hedders and Schoenfeld mufflers found their way under the vehicle while a new camshaft from Comp Cams gives the motor that healthy lope tune. A polished intake manifold and valve covers give the motor that extra sparkle while a custom sheetmetal engine cover rounds out the engine bay.

With the rest of the truck coming together, no custom build would be complete without a one-off interior. Tossing the old dash and door panels in the trash, Derrick and his friends at Gary's Auto and Marine Upholstery fabricated a new dash and door panels out of an old hood and painted them to match the truck. Dolphin gauges were used to replace the factory units and the factory bench seat was wrapped in black tweed and red vinyl. Finishing out the interior, the floor was wrapped in matching red carpeting.

After standing back and looking at his 'bagged, bodied, and custom painted Jimmy, most people would have cracked open a beer and called it a day. But for Derrick, something was missing and with his goal of a feature in mind, it was time to take it to the next level. Taking it back to Jason's Creationz, Derrick and Jason laid down tribal and skull graphics throughout the entire truck, even wrapping them in and out of the doorjambs.

Seeing as how you're reading this, obviously Derrick accomplished his goal and the truck was featured, even more impressive when you find out that the truck only took eight months to build. But for Derrick, the real reward was the smiles from his friends and family with his dream completed as he drives the road. Although this truck is complete and has already been passed off to a new owner, Derrick already has big plans for his next ride. After all, just because it was your first love doesn't mean it was your last.